The Hillcrest Lady Screamin' Eagles claimed their first ever county softball title with an 8-3 victory over defending champion Walnut Ridge in the championship game of the 2009 Lawrence County Softball Tournament on Saturday at Lynn.

"We have had our chances the past couple of years, but it was great to win this on our home field in front of a bunch of our fans," said Hillcrest coach Shawn Rose.

Offensively for the Lady Screamin' Eagles, Lauren Pickle batted 3-for-3 with an RBI. Miranda Doyle went 2-for-3 with an RBI, and Natalie Johnson had a double and drove in two runs. Samantha Blevins added a double and had an RBI. Breanna Doyle had one RBI and scored two runs.

Blevins was the winning pitcher, allowing only one earned run on three hits, while striking out 10 in five innings of work.

For Walnut Ridge, Brittany Dobbs went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs.

"We still need to improve as a team and in our individual jobs to get to were we want to go," added Rose. "There is still a lot of work to be done, but it feels good to get this tournament championship."

Hillcrest ~ WR

Hillcrest advanced to the championship game by defeating Walnut Ridge 6-3 in the finals of the winner's bracket.

The Lady Eagles scored two runs in the first inning, four in the second and held off the Lady Cats for the win.

Johnson led Hillcrest at the plate, going 3-for-3 with three RBIs. Miranda Doyle had two hits and scored two runs. Pickle and Mackenzie Nunnally had two hits each.

WR ~ S-H

Walnut Ridge advanced to the championship game by defeating Sloan-Hendrix 9-3 in the loser's bracket final.

Alivia Hackworth batted 3-for-4 for the Lady Bobcats, and Amber Caldwell had two hits and two RBIs.

Hackworth earned the pitching win, allowing two earned runs on five hits and recording five strikeouts.

WR ~ S-H

Mackenzie Britton singled home Dobbs with the winning run as Walnut Ridge rallied for two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to slip past Sloan-Hendrix 7-6 in a first-round game on Friday.

The Lady Bobcats trailed 6-5 heading into their final at-bat. Caldwell reached base on a walk and advanced to third on a pair of passed balls. Caldwell then scored the tying run on a hit by Dobbs, setting the stage for Britton's game-winning hit.

Taylor Wagoner had two hits and two RBIs for Walnut Ridge. Ashley Baker, Hackworth, Josie Wagoner, Dobbs and Britton each had a hit for the Lady Cats.

Hackworth pitched a complete game to earn the win on the mound. She allowed six hits and struck out four.

Hillcrest ~ BR

A 10-run third inning lifted the Hillcrest Lady Screamin' Eagles to a 13-3 first-round win over Black Rock's Lady Zebras on Friday.

Breanna Doyle had three hits, including two triples. Miranda Doyle and Johnson each had
three hits and three RBIs. Kayla McBride and Stevie Howard each had two hits.

Blevins earned the pitching win. She struck out six, allowed three hits and three runs in five innings.